Thomas County cat. [volume] (Colby, Kan.) 1885-1891, 1887-09-22
HANDLING CHILDREN.


HANDLING CHILDREN.
An Important Matter which Does Not
Receive the Attention IL Deserves.
Few people are aware of the damage
that is done to children by improper
handling. Babies are too often re-
garded as beings to be amused at any
cost. with no thought that they may
be harmed by many Of the amusements
in which most people indulge to please
them. They are tossed high in the air
with jerky motion, time after time,
by people who seem to have an idea
that the greater shaking up they can
,, give the babies the better it is for the
little ones amusement .'Oh, it
doesn't hurt baby to toss it like this;
, if it did you would very soon hear it cry.
1t likes it; see how it crows and laughs. -
just as though baby knew what was
good for it. To be sure, tho little one
thinks it good sport. and will laugh
and crow and even cry for q repetition
of the amusement, but this is no reason
why it should be INDUCED in when it is
known to be positively harmful to the
baby. Nobody would think of such a
thing as giving child poison because
it was sweet and the little
one liked the taste of it. An
other way of pleasing the baby, or play
ing with it, is to lay it across the
persons lap and lower the head
and shoulders, and when the little one
commences to fuss bring them up with
a sudden motion enough to make any
one dizzy. Few people can lower their
heads in the same way and not feel the
effects of it. Frequently such people
say: II can't even stOop without get
ting dizzy; it hurts my head very much
when have to pick up any thing"
They never think that could the baby
speak it would very likely make the
same complaint If child lifts kit
ten by the tail, or makes wheelbar-
row out of it by lifting the hind feet,
thereby forcing the cat to walk on its
fore feet with hind feet so far up in the
air that it has the appearance Of walk
ing ON its head, the mother of the
child, very justly. compels the little
one to desist. pointing out to him the
cruelty of his play. If woman is
careful oE an animal in this way how
much more should she be careful of the
baby. No mother, having the welfare
of her children at heart will, on any
account, allow any one, either visitor
or one of the family. to amuse or play
with the baby in the ways mentioned
above. A child who has predisposi-
ton to any head trouble will not de-
rive any benefit from this treatment
but. on the contrary, q great deal OF
damage.
Some mothers take the baby out OF
its crib the moment it opens its eyes.
when it is really only half-awake. This
is very poor plan. They should wait
until the child is thoroughly awake be-
fore removing it. and then lift it slow
ly. ard not with a jerk. as l have seen
some mothers do. Very often women
are heard to say: II got out of bed too
quickly this morning, my head has
been aching all day." If mothers
would reason that a baby might be
affected in the same way they would
very quickly admit the cause of baby's
fretfMness to be something more than
| the Immature to which it is usually at
/ tributed.
| Mothers should be careful to whom
they intrust their children when out of
their sight, and should be assured that
! the person. either child or adult, shall
thoroughly understand how to carry
the baby properly. 1t is astonishing
how many people there are who do not
understand the carrying of baby. Al
most any day on the streets can be met,
not only children. but women. who
ought to know better. carrying babies
on their arms, sitting bolt upright.
With no support whatever to their
backs. A child must have a wonder
fully strong spine to stand this kind of
treatment for any length of time with
out being harmed by it. and mothers
of such children should be thankful
that it does not bring on spinal
trouble from which the little one may
never recover.
Another very common thing fire.
quently seen on the street 10 woman
holding i:tle child by the hand. the
woman walking very erect, never
thinking to stoop little SO as to ac-
commOd ate herself to the height of the
little one, and the latter. reaching up
SO high to keep hold of the wOman's
hand, that only its toes come in contact
with the ground. is being dragged
along at quite lively rate of speed.
When crossing is to be passed. the
child is lifted up by the arm. down one
curb and up the other, as carelessly as
though it were rag doll. In after
years the mother of child such IS this
will wonder why it is that one Of its
shoulders is higher than the other, and
no matter to what cause she may as
sign it, she will seldom place the blame